


Defaced Keyhole

by w_x_2



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1376518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w_x_2/pseuds/w_x_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Drabble must begin with: “How does it open?” for week 2 of <a href="http://www.brigits_flame.livejournal.com/">brigits_flame</a> 2010.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defaced Keyhole

“How does it open?”

 

“What do you mean ‘how does it open’? The keyhole is right here.” The older man, Emanuel, pointed to the small, defaced keyhole in the pocket-sized wooden box. “And the key’s in your hand!”

 

“You don’t understan—”

 

“You’re gonna tell me that you don’t know how to put the key in the hole and turn it so that you can pop the lid?” An arched eyebrow accompanied the taunt.

 

“Oh come on, don’t ridicule me, Em; the hole is all screwed up.”

 

“Don’t be daft, Josh. Even though the hole is scuffed, I’m sure it will still work.”

 

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t!” Josh muttered.

 

The taller man looked at the younger man with a superior smirk and reached for the key himself, shoving it into the opening and turning it.

 

“Didn’t pop open, did it?” Josh smiled teasingly but warmly.

 

The key was turned once more, but still, nothing happened.

 

“It doesn’t open,” Emanuel muttered as he tried the key again. Coming up empty-handed, he shoved the box away with enough strength to send it to the other end of the table as he sighed in frustration.

 

“I told you so.” Despite receiving a glare, Josh smiled once more. “So ... how do we open it?”

 

“Did you check it for any other crevices?”

 

“Yep, found nothing.”

 

“Do you know what’s inside?”

 

“No.”

 

“Not a clue?”

 

“Nope.” A shake of his head emphasized his answer.

 

“Hang on.” Emanuel looked at him with squinting eyes. “Where did you even get this box?”

 

“Hum.” Josh abruptly smacked his lips together.

 

“Go on.”

 

The younger man gulped and bit his lip, stammering a bit before finally answering, “Your father gave it to me.”

 

“My father?!” Emanuel asked even though the answer was clear. “The man whom I haven’t spoken with for six years?”

 

“Do you have another one?” Josh tried to joke, but chuckled nervously.

 

“Don’t try to play it down,” Emanuel said menacingly. “What the fuck, Josh?”

 

“I, uh-”

 

“What?”

 

“I asked him for your hand.” 

 

“What?”

 

“I asked his permission to marry you and he gave me the box. He told me that I should give you what’s inside on our wedding day.”

 

“What, when?”

 

“A year ago. I forgot all about the box at the time. But then, about a month ago, I was chucking out stuff in the storage room and I found it, and well ... I’ve been trying to open it ever since.” He took a deep breath. “I wasn’t even going to tell you about the box, but we're three days away from  _our_  day and I want to know what’s inside.”

 

“Right,” Emanuel stoically replied before his voice took on a hurt tone. “You went behind my back to see my father without a thought to how I might feel.”

 

Josh walked up to his fiancé, arms circling his waist as he looked him in the eyes. “Look, Em, we’ve been together for seven years; your father knows that. He knows that his son is not getting away from me.”

 

“He told me I was no longer part of the family after I announced you were no longer just my best friend, but also my boyfriend!”

  
“Yes, that’s true. And it’s not fair that he couldn’t accept that you were gay. But you have refused to talk to him as well all this time! And I wanted to do this right!” The younger man encircled his arms around his partner’s neck. “Look, there’s something else you should know.”

 

Josh looked at the taller man with a stricken face before continuing, “I left an extra seat in the front row for your father.” Emanuel was  _not_  happy about that, his face showed that much, but Josh had to finish. “I also sent him an invitation, though I did tell him he was only allowed to come if you asked him yourself.”

 

“Gods, Josh. Why the fuck would you do that?”

 

“Because he’s your father! And if mine was still alive, I would sure as hell like him to be there on my wedding day!” A deep breath as he tried to get rid of the sadness he felt. “Damnit. I know you’re not trying to be inconsiderate, but neither am I!”

 

Emanuel didn’t reply for a while, simply standing there as he looked at his soon-to-be-husband’s eyes, his arms encircling Josh’s waist and bringing the smaller man closer before giving him a slow, tender kiss. But when he did talk again, his tone showed that he understood why Josh had gone to his father; it showed both his forgiveness and his own apology—his love. “What do you think is inside?”

 


End file.
